SAO PAULO – Qualifying for Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix has been moved to Sunday at 7:30 a.m. local time due to heavy rain at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo.

Less than an hour before the scheduled start time at 3:00 PM, a thunderstorm hit the circuit, followed by persistent rain.

After confirming the session would be postponed, the FIA ​​carried out track inspections at 15-minute intervals before confirming the postponement at 4:45 pm local time.

“Given the conditions in São Paulo today, the decision has been made not to proceed with qualifying due to poor visibility, standing water on the track and fading light,” the FIA ​​said in a statement.

“Safety is always paramount in such circumstances and although as much time as possible was given to improve conditions, unfortunately that did not happen. We greatly appreciate all the fans who stayed at the track hoping to see cars on track today. .

“Therefore, after consultation with the stewards, it has been decided to schedule qualifying on Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m. local time, prior to the Grand Prix at 12:30 p.m. local time. This will ensure that we maximize the chances of fans getting a day of racing action and both the FIA ​​and Formula 1 believe this time change is necessary and the right thing to do for all our passionate fans.

“We thank everyone for their patience today, including the fans, drivers, teams, marshals, track staff and media, and hope to provide everyone with an exciting event on Sunday.”

The last time a qualifying session was postponed until race day was during the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix, when Typhoon Hagibis made landfall on qualifying day.

Saturday’s sprint race took place in dry conditions on Saturday morning, with Lando Norris securing victory after McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri was ordered to relinquish the lead.

Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix will be a key moment in the title battle between Max Verstappen and Norris, with the Red Bull driver leading the McLaren driver by 44 points after Saturday’s sprint race.

Verstappen will receive a grid penalty of five places from where he qualifies for Sunday’s race, after his Red Bull was fitted with a different engine than his quota for the season on Friday.